The field of the disclosure relates generally to imaging systems and methods, and more specifically, to goggles for displaying a plurality of image modes.
For surgical operations, in the absence of an image guidance system, surgeons typically need to remove large surgical margins around what they perceive as a neoplastic tissue because of the similarity of diseased tissue to surrounding healthy tissue. In some parts of the body such as the brain, surgeons do not have the luxury of removing sizeable healthy tissue for fear of inducing irreparable damage. Despite progress made to enhance the contrast between neoplastic and normal tissues, the human eye is not capable of detecting the contrast signals with high sensitivity in the operating room. This limitation exasperates tumor resection, resulting in the presence of cancerous cells at or near the boundaries of surgically removed tissues.
Recent advances in medical imaging technologies, however, have facilitated the use of imaging instruments to guide surgical resections. However, at least some known imaging systems have relatively low sensitivity and accuracy. Further, at least some known imaging systems generally require high costs, complex instrumentation, and time-consuming image analysis. Moreover, some surgical procedures often require a team of experienced oncologic surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists to work together. Finally, at least some known imaging systems include a graphic display of results on a monitor, which can distract surgeons from focusing on the surgery at hand.